Tipoff 8 pm CT streaming on Peacock.

Returning punts for the Bengals tonight

Top 15 forward Alexander Constanza is in for an official visit. He's on campus today (Mon) and will stay for the Wisconsin game on Tuesday night. Deep connections with Orlando Antingua. I'd expect Constanza to reclassify to 2025. Syracuse is probably the leader, but Illinois is in the mix.

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We opened as 11 1/2 point underdogs to South Carolina. I hope it is much closer than that.

College Football Playoff pairings will be announced at 11:00 am CT on ESPN.

Bowl games are expected to start rolling out their pairings at around 1:00 pm CT.

Bret Bielema and Josh Whitman press conference is set for 3:00 pm.

Illinois is projected for the Citrus Bowl vs. Alabama, South Carolina, or Ole Miss.

Monday, Dec. 30: Illini Takeover Pep Rally and Radio Show

Pep Rally: The Fighting Illini will take over Pointe Orlando on Monday, Dec. 30 beginning with a pep rally at 4 p.m. ET. Join the Marching Illini, Fighting Illini Cheer team for a pep rally gathering.

Radio Show: The Illini will be broadcasting a Citrus Bowl radio show at Sport and Social from 6-7 p.m. ET, located in Pointe Orlando on the second level. Seating will be open to all fans on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET. The show will feature Voice of the Illini Brian Barnhart alongside former players, Director of Athletic Josh Whitman, and other special guests. No advance registration needed.

Pointe Orlando (9101 International Dr., Orlando, FL 32819) offers numerous restaurants and bars with a wide variety of food and activity options.

Tuesday, Dec. 31: Illini Pregame Party

Join your fellow Illini three hours before kickoff for fun and food. Registration includes pregame festivities, and all-inclusive food and drink. Must be registered in advance to attend. Registration is $100 per person ($40 for children under 12 years old). Please register today as we have a limited capacity for this event!

If you purchased the Bowl Game Travel Package through Illinois Athletics, pregame registration is included. No need to register again—see you there!

This event is hosted by the University of Illinois Alumni Association, the Office of the Chancellor, and the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Tuesday, Dec. 31: Illini Walk

Meet the Fighting Illini as they arrive at Camping World Stadium for Illini Walk Citrus Bowl Style. The Illini Walk will take place at 12:45 p.m. ET at Camping World Stadium at Gate D (Fun Spot Gate). The Drumline will begin playing at 12:30 p.m. ET, and the Illini Walk will conclude with a Marching Illini performance.

Illinois falls to Northwestern 70-66.

That's a pretty bad loss. Really poor execution.

A little bit of a surprise. Whitenack had a chance to play next year.

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Start Morez at 4.

Run high low with Tommie and Morez. Tommie is a great passer and has the green light.

Start Will at 3 and run midrange ISO with him.

Always encourage Boswell to cut, move and attack to the basket with the ball or not. KJ and Tommie will find him.

Let KJ take over.

Rinse, Repeat.

Not official yet, but it's being reported by multiple outlets.

Illinois vs. South Carolina. December 31. 3 pm. Orlando, Fla.

I’m not a professional odds maker but it seems you’re crazy not to take the Packers over the Bears by more than 5 1/2 points. Where can I lay down some serious money?

It can’t guard power forwards.

Alabama lit us up with their PF.
Arkansas had a PF score at will.
Northwestern dominated us with a PF.

You can even see it with the cupcakes.

The good news is that there is a solution. We have a 5* player that shuts down the other team’s offense when he gets minutes at the 4. His name is Morez Johnson. He needs to get 24+ mpg. He is a rebounding machine and he’s good around the rim on both ends. He does foul too much and can’t hit free throws so you probably bring him off the bench and sit him in late game situations where you need free throw shooting. Maybe go defense/offense where possible.

The guy who can’t guard is Ben Humrichous. He is tall and most games he makes open 3’s. He doesn’t rebound. He could theoretically get better at using his size on defense and on the glass or we could change our defense to hide him. He’s fine as a rotational player but he should be like Tre White and get bench minutes even if he starts games.

I’m not saying anything that the fans don’t know. If we needed a loss for Underwood to make this change then the loss will have been worth it. Otherwise this will haunt us all season.

If Humrichous plays more minutes than Johnson then I’ll revisit this thread for future opponent PFs that light us up.

Per Bret Bielema today, Bryant will focus on preparing for the NFL Draft.

Not a surprise

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CHAMPAIGN, Ill – The Fighting Illini volleyball team heard its named called on Selection Sunday and the Orange and Blue are ready to go dancing. Illinois earned a berth in the 2024 NCAA Volleyball tournament on Sunday, the programs first since 2021.

The Orange and Blue will face off against Northern Iowa in its tournament opener in Louisville, Ky., on Friday at 3 p.m. CT. The winner of the match will take on the victor of the Louisville and Chicago State match-up.

Illinois volleyball finished the regular season with an 18-12 overall record and a 10-10 mark in Big Ten play. The Orange and Blue are led by Raina Terry, the Illini's all-time leader in kills (2,120), aces (219) and points (2,502.0). The Ohio native is the only active Big Ten player with over 2,000 career kills and over 200 career aces.

The tournament marks the 28th NCAA appearance overall for the Fighting Illini and the fifth under head coach Chris Tamas.

How will the outcome of these games impact Illinois?